In search of a Unicorn and Friendship
by RoseScor90
Summary: A chance rendezvous in the Forbidden Forest teaches Blaise and Parvati that their prejudices about the other were merely that, prejudices. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not JK…

A/n: Written for Essie's "Non-Canon Pairing" challenge. The pairing given was Blaise/Parvati; the prompt was embarrassed and the setting was the Forbidden Forest. Hope you enjoy!

"Oh, come on Zabini. Don't be such a pansy" her clear voice floated back to him over the giant rock. Blaise glared at the offending piece of boulder with distaste before he began attempting to climb it. It wasn't an easy task and by the time he had achieved it, Parvati was annoyed and impatient.

"What took you so long? It's just a rock!" she commented before she began walking forward, not bothering to look back at whether he was following or not. Amazingly, he did walk behind her after a few minutes, looking at the dirty and damp moss that covered practically everything in the forest, making it look like he was stuck in a stuffy room with deep green walls. Ugh! He never imagined he'd be thinking this, but he really did hate the color green now.

"Quit daydreaming, Zabini. We have a unicorn to find and bring back. As it is, it was your fault that I'm stuck in this damn cold place searching for a lost animal when I could much rather be seated inside the commonroom enjoying the day." She kept muttering to herself about stupid Slytherins who thought they were too high to lower themselves to looking after the animals they were assigned. Blaise sighed, having no response to that.

It had been he who had let the unicorn run away when he must have been calming it down. Draco had gone and frightened the poor animal, but Blasie had secretly thought that it had been Draco's pallor that had driven away the poor thing. Chuckling to himself, he quickened his pace, in a better mood than he had been before.

"What's so funny about being stuck inside a dark foreboding forest, Zabini? This may be _your_ idea of a picnic but it certainly is not mine. Let's get this over with this fast. As it is, I have a potions essay waiting for me back inside the castle and I don't think 'floundering around in the forest looking for a unicorn' would suffice an acceptable explanation for Professor Snape"

"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the four poster or something, Patil? Or are you always this snappy?"

"Only with dim witted Slytherins who can't control their own mares" she replied sharply, not even bothering to turn back.

"What? Do you have something against Unicorns or something? I thought you loved them?" he asked curiously as he ran up to keep with her pace.

She looked at him with narrowed eyes for a minute before she turned away. He couldn't discern the expression on her face which was hidden in the shadows the looming trees in the forest cast.

"Well, I suppose it's no harm in telling you. Afterall, no self respecting Slytherin will admit to associating with a Gryffinor much less having a discussion about said Gryffindor's supposed preference to Unicorns"

"I guess not" he shrugged it off. It wasn't as if she was going to divulge information about her clandestine affairs to him.

"It's just my twin, Padma, and Lavender who like all things girly and stuff. I just sort of tag along. It's easy to act like you're interested in something than remain isolated. Of course, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"You might be surprised at how much I do understand" was all he muttered but Parvati let the comment slide. He was clearly trying to act the counselor, something she did not need.

At a distance, they spotted a flash of silvery white fur and Parvati began racing towards it. Blaise lagged behind, knowing she'd catch the Unicorn before it could escape again. No matter what she claimed, Blaise knew she had a flair for calming creatures. During the months that they had been paired together, he had seen her connect with the smallest to the scariest of all the animals. She had a certain aura that made them trust her. Even if she stood near a Hippogryff holding a knife in her hand, it would still come to her without hesitations.

"Ow!" hearing her sharp cry, Blaise quickened his pace in the direction of the sound. He rushed up a mound of what appeared to be clay covered by slippery mosses and found Parvati leaning on a tree, her eyes closed tight. Her face was contorted in pain as she inclined her head towards the bark. Her arm was extended towards her leg, and Blaise realized that she must have hurt herself.

"What happened, Patil?" he approached her carefully. If she could be that snappy when she was just irritated, who knew what she'd do when she was irked _and_ hurt? But when she opened her eyes at the sound of his voice, they weren't spitting daggers like he had thought. Her dark eyes were clouded with pain, and she flinched as she tried to stand straight.

"Just sprained my ankle" her voice was barely audible and Blasie knew that she was speaking quietly to hide the breaks in them.

"Why are you standing then? Sit down or you'll make it worse" he ordered and a sliver of defiance laced with the pain in her eyes.

"What do you care, Zabini? I need to get that Unicorn back to Professor Kettleburn today and I need to go finish my assignments, too. I do not have time to waste being a sitting duck. Move" she tried to push him away but it wasn't any use.

"Why do you push yourself this hard, Patil? Surely, you can rest for a bit before we can go in search of the Unicorn? It wouldn't be far from here. The Centaurs' border is just around the corner…"

"I know that." she snapped back at him suddenly.

"So, we'll find it soon. You can take a break for a few minutes" he finished, ignoring her interruption.

"I can not" she tried to walk around him but her stride was barely a limp and she wasn't able to move more than a few steps before the pain became unbearable, anyway. Seeing her halt, he moved to stand before her.

"I insist" he guided her gently back towards the tree. She thought of protesting but as far as she saw, there was no other option. She must have been terrified by now. Being stuck in the middle of the forbidden forest with an infamous Slytherin, with a cramped leg wasn't the safest position a girl could find herself in but, Parvati realized that she felt oddly serene. May be because she could see that Zabini wasn't the cruel person everybody seemed to believe he was. Sure, the guy never spoke much and even then he did they were curt answers and snappy retorts. But he was behaving totally unlike his reputation today and she was surprised.

She leant on the tree and with his help, slid down into a sitting position. He knelt down beside her and scrutinized her ankle. He then drew out his wand and began waving it in complex patterns.

"What are you doing?" even as she asked the question, she could feel a cold feeling seep through her ankle, relieving the burning pain. Bandages began to appear and tied themselves around her ankle securely and found that she could move her ankle without feeling much of the excruciating pain it had brought.

"I may not be very good at climbing rocks or chasing run away unicorns but I do know a few basic healing spells" he smiled mockingly at her.

"The Unicorn…" she reminded him and he stood up.

"Just wait here and I'll see if I can coerce it to return back with me" he smirked lightly before he left her alone in the clearing.

_What am I doing?_ Was the very thought that was running through his head as Blaise wandered in the forest. He had been almost caring towards her back at the clearing. Though it wasn't unlike him, he had a reputation to keep and treating wounded Gryffindors like it was the most natural thing to do wasn't going to help. But there was a part of him, an annoying little voice, that kept reminding him that there was something more to his actions than mere kindness. Of course he wasn't falling for her; that would be a blasphemy. But she intrigued him. He had _seen_ her act dim witted and all girly but the events of the past hour and her own words told him why.

She was quite sensible and tough beneath all the damsel-ly exterior she put up. That sprain must have hurt like hell. He had seen stronger wizards crumble beneath the pain. But she had been ready to walk into the forest filled with uneven surfaces and slippery floors. He shuddered at the pain that she would have surely had to endure. Why was she subjecting herself to something that was quite clearly torturous injury?

Parvati sat still, looking around the forest that surrounded her. A sudden feeling creeped up on her; someone was watching her. Panicked, she turned towards the direction she thought the gaze was coming from and let out a sigh. Not one but three pairs of eyes stared at her…three?

As the footsteps neared, and the shadows receded, she could clearly make out the outline of the elusive Unicorn. Of course there was Zabini. But there was another little creature…

She gasped at the sight of the little thing that followed behind its mother, looking around in fright. It let out weak neighs from time to time as if it was unsure, but seemed to be reassured by its mother's confidence.

Parvati smiled kindly at the little Unicorn and it neighed faintly back. The animal's eyes wandered to her leg which was propped up in bandages and its gait seemed to gain strength. Soon, it was walking ahead of the other two and stopped close to Parvati. She ran a hand through its fur and it leant into her hand. Hearing Zabini's chuckle she turned towards him and raised an eyebrow.

"That pesky little thing wouldn't even come near me…" he explained and Parvati looked to the foal with wonder.

"Gave him his money's worth, did you?" she petted the animal and it neighed louder. Blaise shook his head as he came near them.

"Atleast now we know why the Unicorn ran away. Professor Kettleburn's going to be very pleased"

"We should probably head towards the castle. It must be getting late" Parvati tried to sit up but her leg had become numb from sitting still for so long.

"Don't worry. It's just three in the afternoon and we were excused from classes for the day, remember?" he sat beside her and leaned on the tree, placing his hands behind his head to prevent them from resting on the bark.

"Doesn't mean we have to waste it lounging inside the dreary forest."

"Yeah, we could always spend it inside the castle drinking hot chocolate" he agreed and she chuckled.

"I was going to say doing homework, but that works just as well, I guess"

"Tell me this Patil, why are you so obsessed with academics? I mean, not that I think it a bad thing, but…"

"You want to know why I bother since I'll never be as good as Granger anyway"

"No, it's not that…"

"You and I both know it was what you meant, but don't worry it doesn't bother me" she replied before turning silent, and her eyes closed. He almost thought she wasn't going to answer when she spoke.

"Where I come from, the only thing that matters is how intelligent I am. Not how brave, sensible, or even how pretty I am. It's all about the grades I get and the ambitions I chose to follow. And the least I could do is atleast try to be as good as my Ravenclaw twin" her voice was dripping with sarcasm and blatant contempt and Blaise could see that this was something that had been bothering her for a long time. He had a weird feeling that he had opened the Pandora's Box but she remained silent after that, almost as if she had revealed too much.

"What _do_ you want to be? After you graduate, that is?"

"I have no idea." She chuckled wryly before adding, "My mother would perish of heart failure if she knew"

"And your sister does?"

"Yes. She's quite interested in prophecies and the like. She says she wants to work at the Department of Mysteries. My family would be delighted"

"Your family?"

"Yeah, I have loads of them. Quite nosy too, if I do say so myself"

"You're lucky, you know? You atleast have someone who'll care about these things"

"Oh! Yeah, I forgot. You…"

"Lost my mother? Yes, I did. And I can't honestly say I mourn for her loss" she turned to him then, eyes round as saucers. Blaise laughed.

"How could you love someone you never knew? She was as close to me as your nephew thrice removed and twice blasted off the family tree would have been to you"

"But still…" she did not continue, but he seemed to get her expression for he sighed.

"Yes, it is precisely that 'but still' I wanted. And what I tried for. Turned out to be nothing in the end. She cared for noone but her own self"

"I'm sorry" she placed a hand on his palm. It felt warm on his cold hand and he sighed in contentment.

"It's alright. I've learnt to live with it. Deal with the hand you've been dealt, and all, you know?" he was visibly embarrassed and Parvati acted completely out of instinct.

"If ever you wanted someone for company, you know…"

"Thanks, Patil. But I think you'll get bored with me pretty soon. I don't talk much; I'm not as fun as the rest of the people seem to think I am and I'm not even evil enough to make up for it"

"But you're a good person. I know you'll never admit to this and I wouldn't have told this of you a few hours back either. But everyone needs a friend"

"A friend? That sounds nice. Thanks"

"You're welcome. Atleast now our Care of Magical Creatures class will be more bearable" Blaise chuckled at her observations. She stood up gingerly, but stayed standing. She tested her feet for a few steps and then her pace quickened.

Blasie recognized that the moment of confessions was over but he realized that in the course of the few hours, their perspective of each other had changed completely.

He knew it; he knew she realized it too, by the way her eyes looked at him. Not with hate, or distaste; but with the curiosity he knew was reflected in his own.

"You know, you could have a great chance in the field of magical creatures, if you tried" he commented as he walked with her out of the forest, the two Unicorns following them.

"Just because I offered to be your friend doesn't mean I hired you as my career guide"

"Of course. There's Hagrid's hut. Let's hurry"

And that was the beginning of a sound friendship that morphed into something else entirely with time.

A/n: Don't favorite without reviewing!


	2. Dancing in corridors

Disclaimer: Not JK…

A/n: Written for tat1312(tat) for her birthday. Happy birthday! It's a sort of companion piece to my other Blasie/Parvati, 'In search of Unicorns and friendship', but this could be read alone too.

"Why is Zabini gawking at you?" Parvati turned her gaze reluctantly from the book she had been reading only to find Blaise's eyes move away from her and towards the book he was holding. Parvati knew he was waiting for her to leave the library.

Ever since they had been stuck in the Forbidden Forest and she had agreed to be friends, their secret meetings had become something of a ritual. He'd greet her whenever they passed the halls, would smile at her when she entered a classroom, would even carry her books to her commonroom. As long as they were out of sight of the others, that was. When in the presence of other students, he'd act like normal and would either ignore her or would taunt her, but his retorts would lack the distinct sharpness and his eyes, if she bothered to look, would be jovial rather than disgusted. It was all just a show. She knew it, and couldn't help but chuckle at his antics. So, far noone had noticed that they seemed to be closer than normal and she was thankful for that. Personally, she thought he was taking this friendship thing far too seriously. Or may be he just didn't know how to act around friends. Whatever the reason, Parvati couldn't ignore the fact that she was coming to depend on him and it surprised her. Sure, she hadn't been completely independent before. You can't be a twin and not rely on each other. But with Blaise, she felt as if there was something else. It was almost as if she felt, special with him. She consoled herself saying that it must be because he rarely ever spoke with anyone else but was almost doting towards her. He was the kind of friend anyone would kill for and she knew this only too well.

So she didn't mind it so much when he began looking at her more often. He must have been worried that they were drifting apart, or something. But she knew Blaise wasn't the type of guy to cling on to her like that. For the first few months in their third year he had barely spoken with her and she had begun to worry that it had all been a dream. Of course that had all changed when the announcement had come that Sirius Black, a renowned murdered had escaped Azkaban. He had become so worried and she had thought it kind of childish of him. Things had continued as such even after that threat had disappeared but Parvati had by now gotten so used to it that she welcomed his presence because one, he was much more sensible than her friends and two, she was fascinated by him. Often, she wondered how he had come to be in Slytherin at all. Sure, he was vain, selfish and cunning and such, but he still managed to come out as a rather compassionate person. And with her, it was even more pronounced. Sometimes she felt as if she was seeing two sides of the coin at once. His behavior was confusing altogether and she couldn't manage to forget it either.

"May be he wants to ask you to the ball or something" Lavender whispered from behind the book she was using to hide her gossiping. Parvati shook her head in resignation. Why did he have to go and behave so…abnormally, now of all times? There would be no stopping Lavendar's schemes if she knew the truth and the girl was extravagant at the least.

"Don't be stupid. If he did, he knows the answer. I'll be at the dorms. Too crowded here" Parvati stood up abruptly and left the library, taking care to walk as far from the table he was seated at as was possible. As she neared the exit, she thought she heard a distinct chuckle. Her irritation mounted.

When she was at the fifth floor corridor, she heard hurrying footsteps. She did not stop, but increased her pace. The footsteps hurried as hers did and soon she could see his jogging form from the corner of her eye. "Parvati! Stop!" She stopped abruptly and he ran a few steps ahead of her before he walked back to her.

"What's the hurry?" he asked casually, his hands in his pockets.

"Would you rather everybody saw us together?" she snapped, her annoyance from before resurfacing.

"Oh, so it was your _reputation_ you were bothered about, was it?" he was smirking irritatingly. She narrowed her eyes, which were shooting imaginary spells at him.

"Yes" the one word rang in the deserted corridor loudly and Blaise shuffled his feet, apparently uneasy. Parvati bit her tongue. She had been harsher than she had intended.

"Oh, okay, then" a tense silence rang in the corridor and Blaise looked at Parvati intently for a minute before he began retreating.

"Blaise wait" he stopped, but did not look at her. She rushed towards him instead, pausing to stand before him. He still did not turn his face towards her, opting to look at the portrait behind her head.

"I'm sorry. That was stupid of me to say. Of course, I did not mean that. What I meant was that you should stop looking at me like that. What if someone starts to suspect?"

"What about? That we are friends? Will it be so hazardous?"

"It's not that. What if someone thinks…you fancy me or something like that? I mean, _I_ know that's absurd but…Lavender already asked me once. She is not the type of person to back down that easily"

"Oh, I never thought of it like that, I guess." He ran a hand through his raven locks, messing it up.

"You're messing it up" Parvati stated and he looked at her quizzically.

"Your hair. You should stop running your hand through it so much. It'll probably fall off soon" she stood up to straighten the wayward locks.

"Yeah, I probably should. Or the female population of Hogwarts would be deprived of…"

"Yeah, yeah! Stop it with the vanity speech. You aren't all that 'dreamy', you know?"

"Aren't I, now? I'm sure your twin and your dear friend would disagree"

"Don't remind me. It's hard enough, hearing them talk about you. I feel like puking" she pretended to gag, and he laughed.

"That bad?" his jovial mood was back and he took a hold of her hand and tugged her towards him.

"Your head would bloat to the size of a Quidditch pitch if you heard half the things they said" she shook her head in disbelief.

"Why would I have to worry when I have my very own voice of wisdom right by me?" he chuckled as she came to stand close by him.

"As if you listen to anything I even say" she retorted, recalling a time in their third year when he had insisted on accompanying her to the commonroom. It had been right after the incident by the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Hey! I was worried! What did you expect me to do? Leave you alone in the corridors when a mass murderer was on the loose?"

"Well, everyone else seemed to get by quite well" she raised an eyebrow and he looked sheepish.

"Ah! Well…"

"Don't try too hard, Blaise. Your brain's gonna hurt" she laughed at the outraged look on his face.

"Just because you manage to keep your head inside a divination book all the time…"

"You know what I read behind them, Blaise so don't even start" she warned. He was the one other person on the planet who knew about her habit of reading the library books behind the divination ones she pretended to read.

"But I do think you read too much. I mean, most of the time I have to stare at you incessantly to even get you to look at me" he complained.

"Is that why you keep doing that?" she asked incredulously, and it was a minute before he answered.

"Yeah…yeah, that's why." It was partly true, anyway, "But you should take sometime off. To just…relax" he suggested, eager to change the topic.

"And you have an idea?"

"Sure I do." he remained silent, and an air of hesitation surrounded him, surprising Parvati.

"Let's hear it then" she replied, trying to stop him from gazing at her in that intense manner. Something about the expression in his eyes made her heart race.

"How about you dance with me?" he proposed suddenly.

"Dance? In the middle of the corridor?" she asked mockingly. He opened his mouth a few times and closed it immediately, earning a confused expression from her.

"Why not?" he said finally, and drew her near him. He waved his wand once and soft music began playing.

"What if someone sees?" she asked, looking around all the while.

"Whoever comes to this corridor will find that they have an appointment that can't be missed, on the other side of the castle" he replied off handedly and she snorted.

"Slytherin, should have known" she muttered but he heard it and chuckled. They swayed together, with her head on his chest and his arms around her for a few minutes before she noticed the strands of the music that was playing.

"It's muggle" she observed, raising an eyebrow.

"It is a rather nice song. Good music is good music, no matter who creates it" he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Would this freelance philosophy apply to muggleborns too?"

"Parvati…let's not get into this now, please?" he almost pleaded. This was probably the one thing they seriously disagreed on. It always made them drift apart a bit more and this time was no different. She stopped dancing and stood away from him.

"Parvati…" he extended her hand but she had already turned away and had begun walking towards the staircase. There was no use arguing with him, and she was too self-righteous to even consider being in the same room as him when he harbored such demeaning views.

"Idiot!" he kicked the edge of the wall and walked away, not even bothering to lessen the throbbing pain pulsing through his toes.

She stayed away from him from then on, though he sometimes thought he sensed her eyes on him. But he knew one thing for sure; he had missed his opportunity. He should have asked her to the dance when he had had the chance.

He had let her go. So he'd have to spend the Yule Ball watching her dance with first Harry Potter and then with some random Beauxbaton guy, knowing it could have been him, if only…

A/n: Sorry I made this not so happy.

Review!


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